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Detentions and deportations of dubious legality at the US border

Brian Leiter

The reports keep coming in:  the French scientist critical of Trump; elderly Indian green card holders; a Canadian actress seeking a work visa; the kidnapping of a US permanent resident by federal authorities because of his lawful political speech; and other horror stories.  Some of these are the product of intentional political persecution of Palestinian activists; some are the result of not very well-trained border and customs agents feeling empowered to act like petty tyrants; and some probably reflects the financial incentives of the private detention facilities the government uses in many of these cases.  Taken together they raise a serious question about whether it is safe to travel to the United States on a visa or foreign passport.  What we don't yet know is whether this is happening much more now, or whether media is giving it more attention.  Links to other sources and information about these disturbing incidents welcome (sources and information, not political rants!).

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One response to “Detentions and deportations of dubious legality at the US border”

  1. early career scholar

    A Tufts graduate student has been detained.

    From The Boston Globe (link): https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/26/metro/tufts-student-detailed-by-immigration-officials/

    "Federal immigration authorities late Tuesday detained a Tufts PhD student who is a Turkish national, her attorney and community activists said.

    "The student, Rumeysa Ozturk, is student at the Tufts’s doctoral program for Child Study and Human Development, according to her LinkedIn, and graduated with a master’s degree from the Teachers College at Columbia University.

    "Her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, has filed a habeas petition in Massachusetts federal court for Ozturk to be released from detention.

    "In a statement provided through her attorney, community activists said that Ozturk was “ambushed” by ICE agents on the way to an Iftar dinner with friends after leaving her apartment. Neighbors reported that unmarked cars were surveilling the location for two days before apprehending her on the street, the statement said. Community activists said they did not know yet where Ozturk was being detained. In an email statement sent Tuesday night, Tufts University President Sunil Kumar said the school received reports that the student was taken into custody outside an off-campus apartment building in Somerville, though the email did not identify Ozturk by name.

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